The US has seen an increase in vehicles sales during November at some of its top automakers.

General Motors (GM) and Chrysler announced significant gains in sales during the month, suggesting that the slump which has been affecting the US market is coming to an end.

GM announced an increase in sales of 6.1 per cent compared to the previous year, while its light trucks division posted a 16.6 per cent jump.

However, Ford suffered further setbacks in its efforts to turn around its sales, with a 9.6 per cent slide in sales during November compared to the previous year. That allowed Japanese automaker Toyota to overtake Ford as the top seller in the US.

Ford was affected by lower truck sales and a decline in its fleet sales. The beleaguered company has announced it is to cut first quarter production in 2007 by 14.4 per cent to 750,000 vehicles as it looks to tackle spiralling costs.

The news from GM and DaimlerChrysler, which saw a 2.9 per cent year-on-year increase in sales, is in stark contrast to figures in Europe, where the slump in sales appears to have continued across the sector.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd